Rotary engine.



` PATENTED MAR. 6, 1906.

W. S. MOSES.

ROTARY ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 25. 1905.

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l In? fff 2' PATENTED MAR. 6, 190e.

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W. S. MOSES.

ROTARY ENGINE APPLIGATION FILED JULYzs. 1905.

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No. 814,389. PATENTED MAR. 6, 1906.

W. S. MOSES. ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 25, 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4 :g1/wanton P'ATENTED MAR. 6, 1906. W. S. MOSES. ROTARYENGINE.

f of Minnesota,

vWILLIAM SHEPHERD MOSES, OF TRACY, MINNESOTA.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 6, 1906.

\ Application led July 25, 1905. Serial No. 271.167.

To @ZZ whomr't may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM SHEPHERD MOSES, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Tracy, in the county of Lyon and State have inventeda Rotary Engine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rotary engines of the compound type; and theprincipal objects of the invention are to provide a rotary engine ofthis character which shall be simple and compact in its construction,will develop a maximum power and speed for the expense of steam-pressureapplied, will be reversible and easily controlled, and will provide forstarting the engine in either direction irrespective of the position atwhich the piston may have previously stopped, thereby overcoming thepossibility of a dead-center. These and other though minor objects areattained by a peculiar construction and arrangement of feeding andexhaust mechanism in combination with the rotary piston and movableabutment, all as hereinafter fully described, and more specifically setforth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification,Figure l is a side elevation of a compound rotary engine constructed inaccordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectionalview on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. 3 isa similar view on the line 3 3 ofFig. 1. is a longitudinal vertical sectional view on the line 4 4 ofFig. 2. Fig. r5 is a detail side elevation of the piston. Fig. 6 is asimilar view, the piston being turned one-quarter around from theposition shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view of the mainfeed and exhaust valve which communicates with the inlet and exhaustports. Fig. 8 is a similar view of the auxiliary feed mechanism. Fig. 9is a vertical transverse sectional view showing the arrangement employedin a direct-driven engine.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in all the views of thedrawings.

In carrying out my invention l employ, in the first place, a casing orengine-cylinder, (designated A in the drawings,) and the same is formedwith a supporting-base a and at its upper endA with a housing a, inwhich latter is located the rmovable abutment hereinafter described.The' engine-cylinderis vertically disposed, and tli'e'- end zwalls c2412thereofare each provided *centrally with an opening rig. 2i,

through which the main shaft B passes, having bearings in the usualstuffing-boxes a3.

Mounted within the cylinder`A upon the shaft B and suitably keyed to thelatter is the rotary cylindrical piston C, which is of such length andwidth with respect to the A cylinder as to fit therein, and this pistonis provided with two circumferential channels c c, which in connectionwith the engine-cylinder form a pair of steal -chambers spaced apart, asshown, and into which the steam is admitted for turning said piston.-The extreme depth of each channel extends nearly half-way around thepiston and from opposite points gradually decreases in depth to theperiphery, forming the head c of the piston and against which head thesteam impinges to turn said piston, the inclined bottoms of suchoppositely-tapered portions of the channel serving to operate anabutment D, which latter is mounted to move in and out of the housing a.It will be noted that the two heads c c of the piston'are located atdiametrically opposite sides thereof, so that they will operatealternately when steam is admitted into the two steam-chambers c throughthe valves and ports hereinafter described. The usual peripheralpacking-rings c2 are provided at the ends of the piston and between thechannels or steamchambers therein.

The piston is provided with inlet-ports e and ef, which open out intothe channels or steam-chambers c at opposite sides of the head c by wayof the cavities or recesses c3, said ports extending longitudinallythrough the piston toward the center thereof and communicate,respectively, with steam-passages 04 and c5, the latter being disposedcircumferentially of the piston and in the periphery thereof. There aretwo passages c4, one for each port e of the companion steamchambers, andlikewise two passages c5, communicating with the ports e, whereby toregulate the admission of steam to either side of the piston-heads. Thesteam-passages c4 and c5 are disposed side by side and spaced apart, asshown, and the passagesv of each series are separated from each other,so as to feed steam alternately to the steam-chainbers, being of suchlength as to feed steam for only a small part. of the rotation of thepiston. It will be understood, of course, that the steam may be fed byway of either series of passages, according to the direction IOO IOS

the engine is to be driven, and to provide for controlling the admissionof steam to these passages I provide valves F and F disposed at oppositesides of the cylinder, the valve F opening into the path of travel ofthe steampassage c4, while the valve F opens into the path of travel ofthe steam-passages c5. The valves F and F are of the rotatable plug typeand are operated by levers F2 and F, respectively.

The steam is exhausted from the channels or steam-passages c by way ofthe ports g and g, which extend through the cylinder A at opposite sidesof the housing a', and in order that the operation of the feed-valveswill also open and close said exhaust-ports said valves are extended andprovided with transverse openings g2 therethrough at right angles withthe feed-opening f, whereby when a valve is turned to supply steam tothe piston the exhaust-ports of that valve will be cut off, and theopposite feed-valve being turned off the exhaust-ports thereof will beturned on, so as to exhaust the steam-chambers. Therefore when eithervalve is-open to feed steam to one side of the piston-heads of theengine the other valve is closed to live steam and open to exhaust.Steam is supplied to the valves F and F through the supply-pipes f, andthe exhaust is carried off through the dischargepipes 2.

The abutments D D, which coact with the piston-heads in applying thesteam-pressure directly to the latter for turning the piston, comprisein the present instance rollers which have a vertical movement inrecesses therefor in the housing a of the engine -cylinder, whereby saidrollers may be moved into said housing as the piston-heads c pass thesame and may move into the channels or steamchambers c to provide thenecessary abutment, which is opposed to the rotary pistonhead. Theseabutments being located above the piston will fall by gravity into thechannels or steam-chambers but in order to force them into saidsteam-chambers I provide steam-passages d, extending upward through thehousing or walls thereof beyond either side of each abutment and leadingto a point above the latter, said passages being provided with valves Land L, connected to a rocking beam H, so that they alternately open andclose to prevent the steam going.

around the abutment and apply the steam to force the abutment into thesteam-chamber against the bottom thereof. The valves h and h operateautomatically, inasmuch as the steam entering the steam-chamber at oneside of the abutment will open the valve on that side of said abutment,and consequently close the other valve through the interven tion of therocking beam, and as the valves close downward, as shown, thesteam-pressure will serve to hold the same closed. The.

valves h and 7L are connected to the rocking 65 beam by means of rodsh2, having yolres at their upper ends, with pintles passing throughslots h in the rocking beam, the latter being pivoted in a bifurcatedlug 71,4 on top of the housing. Of course means may be employed forholding the abutment D against the bottom of the steam-chambersuch, forinstance, as a cam, as D', bearing upon the extended ends d5 of the twoabutments, said cams being mounted on the shaft D2, operated from themain shaft by sproclretwwheels w and w and connecting-chain wz.

As heretofore stated, the steam-passages of each series c4 and c5 arespaced apart and individually are of such length with respect to thecircumference of the piston as to feed steam for only a small part ofthe rotation of the latter, and this is for the purpose of utilizing theexpansion of the steam to the fullest extent in driving the piston.However, by this arrangement of course the engine could not be startedup if the same should be stopped with the inlet-valve closed by thatpart of the piston between such passages, and therefore in order toprovide for starting under such conditions, as wellas to provide for theadmission of steam during a greater part of the rotation of the pistonin such instances where. the full power of the engine is required, Iprovide an auxiliary feed mechanism, which latter alternates with theregular feeding mechanism or valves. This auxiliary feed mechanism feedsdirectly into the steam-chambers at eitherside of the pistonheads and istimed with respect to the rotation of the .piston so as to feed steamonly during the travel of the piston from one steam-passage c4 or c5 tothe other as regards the inlet-valve.

The auxiliary feed mechanism is duplicated at either side of thecylinder A, so as to feed steam according to the direction the engine isrunning. The same comprises a horizontally-disposed turning valve I,connected to the cylinder so that the opening i through the plug t"thereof will communicate with the inlet-port m, andat the side of thevalve opposite the inlet-port m is a passage m, adapted to communicatewith a segmental recess n in the periphery of a rotary plug n in avalve-casing N. The segmental recess n is connected by a diagonalpassage n2 to a similar segmental recess n3, also in the periphery ofthe plug a', but at the opposite side thereof from the aforesaid recessand out of line therewith. The recess n3 is adapted to communicate withan opening o in a steam-chest lO beyond the valve N, thesaid steam-chestbeing supplied by a pipe o. It will be noted, therefore, that thedisposition of the connected segmental recesses n and n3 is such thatwhen the recess n3 is in communication with the opening o the oppositerecess n 1s 1n TOO communication with the valve I, and, as heretoforestated, the plug of the valve N is timed so that the communicationbetween the steam-chest and the valve, and consequently the cylinder ifthe valve is open, will take place when that portion of the pistonbetween the steam-passages c4 or c5 is traveling by the regularfeed-openings f of the feedvalve. To accomplish this, the rotary plug nof the valve N is connected by a sprocketchain p to the shaft B, passingover sprocket- Wheels p and p2, fixed to the shaft and valveplug,respectively. The sprocket-Wheels p2 are carried by short shafts p3, letinto bosses at one end of the plug and adjustable therein by means ofthe set-,screw p4.

The construction and arrangement hereinbefore described are adapted fora reversible engine, and the operation thereof is as follows: Supposingthe engine parts to be in the positions illustrated in Fig. 2 of thedrawings-that is, with the feed-valve F open and the exhaust-portsthereof closed, with the opposite feed-valve F closed' and theexhaust-ports of same open, and the auxiliary feed mechanism to theright in operative arrangement, the piston being in the position shownin said figure and steam admitted through the valve F will enter thesteampassage c4 and pass through the port e into the space between thehead c of the piston and the abutment D, causing the piston to turn tothe right, and When it has passed the inlet-port m of the auxiliary feedthe segmental recesses n and n3 will be in position to take steam fromthe chest O and pass it through the open valve I into the steamchamberc, so as to admit a further supply of steam after the steam-passage c4in the piston has passed the 'feed-opening f of the regular feed-valve.When the piston has revolved to bring the head thereof past theexhaustport g of the valve F, the steam will exhaust. It will beunderstood, of course, that When the piston has made a half-revolutionfrom l the position shown in Fig. 2 the other steampassage c4 will takesteam and pass it to the other steam-chamber c, so as to act on theother piston-head. After the engine is started up and for light Work theauxiliary feed mechanism can be cut off by turning the valve I throughthe intervention of the lever I, in which instance the feed will be onlythrough the inlet-port e, and the expansion of the steam will beutilized to the fullest extent in turning the piston. In the operationof the engine, as described, the abutment D will enter the steam-chamberc, and such abutment being in the form of a roller will revolve andreduce the friction, being held down by the pressure of steam above thesame entering through the passage d. It will be seen, therefore, that bythe opposed piston-heads c a compound engine is provided, To reverse theengine, it is only necturned on at any time that heavy work is requiredof the engine as well as for the purpose of starting up When thesteam-passages c4 or c5 are out of communication with the feed-valves FF.

The direct engine (illustrated in Fig. 9 of the drawings) is verysimilar to the engine illustrated in the other figures of the drawings,with the exception that only a single feed-valve and auxiliary feedmechanism are provided, and of course as the piston in this instanceturns in but one direction it is only necessary to provide a singleinlet-port opening out at one side of the head of the piston, Alsoinstead of a reciprocating abutment a swinging abutment, as S, isprovided, being pivoted in a block s, let into the housing a andswinging up into a recess or cavity s in said housing to permit thepiston-head to pass. Said abutment is provided with a flat spring s2,which serves to project the abutment into the steam-chamber c, so thatit may be caught by the steam and fully opened. Rearward movement of theswinging abutment S beyond a vertical line is prevented by reason of thewall or stop-shoulder s3. This engine is of course also provided withopposed piston-heads c; but having only the inlet-ports e it is providedwith only one series of steam-passages c4, and as the exhaust is alwaysopposite the feed-valve T said exhaust-port, as u, is connected directlyto the discharge-pipe u".

It will be readily seen that an engine constructed as herein shown and,described is extremely simple and compact, may be easily controlled,and will develop a maximum speed and power with the expense ofcomparatively ttle steam pressure. The engine may be put to numeroususes and will be found well adapted for automobiles.

Obviously many changes may be made in the construction and arrangementof parts, such as the regular and auxiliary feed mechanisms providingother styles of valves, and I therefore do not limit my protection towhat is herein precisely shown and described, but reserve the right tomake modifications or changes Within the spirit and scope of my claims.y

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. In a rotary engine, thecombination with the cylinder having a housing in one side thereof, of apiston rotatable in the cylinder and provided with steam-chambersdecreasing in depth to provide heads, ports leading out through thepiston at opposite sides of the heads, steam-passages arrangedcircumferentially of the piston and communicat- IOO IIO

ing with said ports, and inlet and exhaust valves, the formercommunicating with the aforesaid steam-passages.

2, In a rotary engine, the combination with the cylinder having ahousing at one side thereof, of a piston rotatable in the cylinder andprovided with steam-chambers extending circumferentially around thepiston and decreasing in depth to provide opposed heads, ports leadingthrough the piston longitudinally and opening out at opposite sides ofthe piston-heads, two series of steam-passages disposedcircumferentially of the piston side by side and the passages of eachseries spaced apart, said passages communicating with the aforesaidports, feed-valves opening into the line of travel of the steampassages,and an abutment located in' the housing and adapted to move in and outof the steam-chambers, the cylinder having exhaust-ports.

3. In a rotary engine, the combinationA with the cylinder having ahousing at one side thereof, of a piston rotatable in the cylinder andprovided circumferentially with steamchambers decreasing in depth toprovide piston-heads opposed to each other, ports leading through thepiston longitudinally and opening out into the steam-chambers atopposite sides of the piston-heads, steam-passages disposedcircumferentially of the piston between the steam-chambers andcommunicating with the ports respectively,

valves disposed at opposite sides of the housing and provided with inletand exhaust openings at right angles to each other, the inlet-openingsadapted to register with the steam-passages of the piston and theexhaustopenings adapted to aline with the exhaustports through thecylinder into the steamchambersl of the piston together with an abutmentadapted to move in and out of the steam-passages and operated by thepistonheads.

4. In a rotary engine, the combination with the cylinder, of a rotarypiston mounted therein and provided with two circumferentialsteam-chambers decreasing in depth as shown to provide opposedpiston-heads, ports extending longitudinally through the piston andopening out at opposite sides of the heads,two series ofcircumferentially-disposed steam-passages connected to the portsrespectively, inlet-valves leading to the passages, and exhaust portsleading to the steam-chambers 3 together with rollers adapted to move inand out of the steam-chainbers, steam-passages at opposite sides of therollers or abutments and leading to a point above the same, valvesadapted to close said passages alternately, and a rocking beam to whichthe valves are connected.

5. In a rotary engine, the combination with the cylinder, of a rotarycylindrical pison mounted in the cylinder and provided withsteam-chambers spaced apart and decreasing in depth to providepiston-heads, ports extending longitudinally through the piston betweenthe chambers therein and opening out into the steam-chambers at oppositesides of the piston-heads, steam-passages arranged in seriescircumferentially of the piston between the steam-chambers andconnecting with the ports respectively, inletvalves communicating withthe steam-passages, exhaust-ports leading through the cylinder on a linewith the steam-chambers, and reciprocating abutments operated by thepiston-heads and adapted to enter the steamchambers; together withauxiliary feedvalves opening into the steam-chambers.

6. In a rotary engine, the combination with the cylinder, of a rotarycylindrical piston mounted in the cylinder and provided withsteam-chambers spaced apart and decreasing in depth to providepiston-heads, ports extending longitudinally through the piston betweenthel chambers therein and opening out into the steam-chambers atopposite sides of the heads, steam-passages arranged in seriescircumferentially of the piston between the steam-chambers and connectedto the ports respectively, inlet-valves communicating with thesteam-passages, exhaust-ports leading through the cylinder on a linewith the steam-chambers, and reciprocating abutments operated by thepistonheads; together with auxiliary feed mechanisms comprising a valve,a steam-chest and an intermediate rotary plug having opposite connectedsegmental recesses out of line with each other and adapted tocommunicate, respectively, with the steam chest and valve, and sprocketchain and wheel connections between the shaft of the engine and theaforesaid rotary plug, whereby steam is admitted directly to the steamchambers intermittently and in addition to the feed through the ports inthe piston. l

7. In a rotary engine, the combination with the cylinder, of a rotarycylindrical piston mounted in the cylinder and provided withsteam-chambers spaced apart and decreasing in depth to providepiston-heads, ports extending longitudinally through the piston andopening out at opposite sides of the piston-heads, opposite valveshaving feed and exhaust openings, an intermediate reciprocatingabutment, a cam operating the latter, and an auxiliary feed comprising arotary plug having segmental recesses out of line with each other andconnected by a diagonal passage, an inlet-port through the cylinder inline with one of said segmental recesses, and a supply-opening in linewith the other of said recesses, substantially as shown and described.

8. In a rotary engine, the combination with the cylinder, of a rotarycylindrical piston mounted therein and provided With cir- IOO ITO

IIS

'cumrerential steam-chambers decreasing in depth to providepiston-heads, ports extending longitudinally through the piston andopening into said steam-chambers, steampassages extendingcircumferentially around the piston and connected to said ports, inletlother, one communicating With an inlet-port and the other with asteam-supply opening, said segmental recesses being connected by adiagonal passage through the plug, and

means for turning the plug from the shaft of lzo the engine,substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

WILLIAM SHEPHERD MOSES.

W'itnesses:

ALFRED SNOFFER, J. R. FITCH.

